Are you a Mindful or Mindless Leader?

By Susan Keane

Delighted to hear some Irish parliamentarians are taking the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course.  It follows the UK mindfulness initiative that has been running for some years.  An inter-parliamentary group was established to promote and embed mindfulness in Westminster.  Mind you with the current Brexit negotiations one wonders just who is practising it.   From an external observer’s perspective what is happening in the UK stems from a lack of trust and clarity on all sides which is frustrating progress.   The UK Mindfulness initiative demonstrates the intention is there, and it is a step in the right direction.

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Mindfulness is about becoming more tuned into the present moment.  The present moment may be difficult with lots of opposing views to contend with, but mindfulness teaches us to take the laser focus away from our negative biases and prejudices and address the situation in a clear focused non-judgemental way.  Mindfulness nurtures self-awareness which contributes to being more emotional tuned into ourselves and others.

A leader is anyone in a role which influences and inspires a team.  The team may be of two or thousands, but all leaders work in complex environments.  Information overload, dealing with diverse personalities cutting through politics and addressing the tasks on hand are just a few of the daily challenges leaders face.  So how do you as a leader stay focused intellectually tuned in and maintain the presence of mind to make good decisions?

Scandals like Audi, closer to home the Irish banking crisis were avoidable events. Lack of consciousness in the decision-making process is a factor that often is not given enough attention   Exclusive focus on financial gain, with no due regard for the wider community leads to bad decisions.

Leading is complicated and demanding, and mindfulness won’t solve every challenge.  However, mindfulness introduces an element of common humanity and humility to the decision-making process.  The obsession with shareholder value exclusively at the cost of the societal and environmental damage is coming back to haunt us.  The ESRI figures indicate work-related stress has doubled between 2010 and 2015, environmental issues are of growing concern, and there is an ever-increasing gap between the haves and have not.

Many organisations I work with have management competency frameworks which provide training paths for managers.  Business theories tactics around performance, people management skills and coaching are standard modules I see, mindfulness however as a management competency is not common.

Mindfulness has many benefits, but the following are ones that are essential for today’s leaders.

Resilience. The ability to bounce back in the most demanding environments.  Stress is part of all jobs, and if not managed Hans Selye demonstrated in the 1960 causes manifestation of serious health problems.   Additionally, emotions are contagious. A leader, who displays stress symptoms on the job impacts the performance of employees.  Simple mindful breathing practice reduces cortisol levels and rebalances the body in stressful situations.

Trust is one of the eight foundational attitudes Jon Kabat-Zinn identified. Trust in oneself, trust in others, trusting life is powerful.   I have experienced scenarios in the workplace where a lack of trust frustrates processes so much that a toxic culture develops.   We get stuck because of a lack of trust.  Often the business environment is so stuck in processes we don’t dare; we over analyse to a point which causes paralysis.

Leaders who bestow trust in their employees nurture enhanced decision making instead of cultivating practices that get bogged down in politics and defensiveness.  If we apply this logic to what is going on with the BREXIT discussion trust is the main barrier frustrating progress.   Mindfulness promotes trust and enables people to be their true selves.  This, can be challenging in an environment where performance matters, return on investment is tracked, and people are looking to pursue their agenda, often to the detriment of others.

Research demonstrates meditation enhances clarity of thought and focused decision making. Meta awareness is about turning inwards, the ability to feel body sensations, thoughts and emotions.  To come down from the head, use our intuition over impulse.  It enables a person to stand back, to pause and soak up the nuances of the situation.   In the midst of competing agendas and large volumes of information, a true leader is one that deciphers relevant information and makes a decision with clarity and confidence.

It is in times of turmoil barriers are built, and it is the mindful leader who stands back, listens totally and is tuned into the dynamics of the environment to pursue the right decision.  Mindfulness nurtures these skills.

Mindfulness teaches us to be true to ourselves. It’s not just about calmness. It helps to acknowledge the good and not so good in ourselves.  To be authentic is a critical attribute in people who are leading people.  Leading as opposed to managing because with a good leader people don’t need to be managed, they are inspired.    Authentic leadership allows people to grow.  The bright sparks in the team do not threaten good leaders, they push away the cloud of politics, and they let the great ideas shine through.  Too often, I’ve witnessed organisations stunted by politics and fear.  The result is that people become disengaged, good people leave and low morale pervades the work environment.

Now in the era of Brexit and the rise of intolerance, authentic leadership is more in need.  As an observer of the Brexit negotiations, lack of trust, and no one listening to each interest group results in factions so entrenched that it threatens the wellness of the nation.    Mindfulness is not the panacea to all our woes, but I believe if more leaders pause, step back and listen, better decisions will be made for the greater good.  I applaud those Irish parliamentarians for participating in the MBSR programme and encourage more business leaders to explore mindfulness.

About

If you are interested in getting a mindfulness taster, I am facilitating Ibec’s Mindfulness for Managers  Programme March 5th 2019.

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SUSAN KEANE BCOMM, ACMA, and an accredited experienced MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) facilitator. Her business knowledge combined with her mindfulness experience provides business with engaging wellness programmes. After graduating from UCD and qualifying as an accountant, Susan worked for many multinational companies. As a director in Ibec Susan was responsible for developing and implementing strategies around competitiveness. She underpins her approach to wellness by her understanding of businesses and her passion for the subject. Susan brings a combination of empathy and confidence to challenge clients to enhance decisions that make for productive workplaces. Recent projects include: auditing and advising on the wellness profile of organisations including Britvic, Ernst & Young, KEPAK, Oracle, and UCC. Advised on restructuring Vhi’s wellness strategy.